Yoga Is Magic!

I went to a yoga class this morning. I have been to yoga maybe twice before and found it a reasonable way to spend an hour but nothing special.

I think I have changed my mind.

The reason I went is because my chiropractor, my PT, my OS and pretty much every medical professional I have met in the last five years has told me I am tight tight tight tight. It is the first thing they say when they examine me.

I showed up for the class and introduced myself to the teacher, telling her I was a newbie. Unfortunately, the class was crowded and I had to be right in front with the teacher. I am very, very, very inflexible and tight. That's just the way I roll, but it is embarrassing to have everyone witness it.

This teacher was the best. She kept coming over and giving me extra equipment and little tricks to have better form. After one hour, my arm, shoulder and back felt better than it has in months.

I have only one quibble. The lady next to me kept looking at me with evident disapproval. After a while, she couldn't restrain herself anymore and started correcting me: "Put your weight on the outside of your foot." I thanked her and all, as she was correct. But still. I thought you were supposed to focus on your own deal in yoga. Don't judge me!

I have recruited a friend to do yoga with me, and I can't wait to do it again!

That's good to hear, I'm also really tight and have been telling myself for years to go to Yoga. One thing I hate is that at least around here (Austin) there are very few morning classes, mostly evening classes and with my kids I really can't take the time to go after work. Is there some morning bias against Yoga classes in the am ?

That's good to hear, I'm also really tight and have been telling myself for years to go to Yoga. One thing I hate is that at least around here (Austin) there are very few morning classes, mostly evening classes and with my kids I really can't take the time to go after work. Is there some morning bias against Yoga classes in the am ?

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The bias is likely that the majority of practitioners in the states are women. And women are, statistically, more likely to have free time during the days.
You might want to look at the following sites which provide yoga sheduling in the morning in the Austin area (one of America's greatest little cities):

As far as my experience with Yoga goes....doesnt do a damn thing for me. Ofcourse some of those stances/asanas they describe are already part of my life style. i felt these extra classes are a waste of my time.

I went to a yoga class this morning. I have been to yoga maybe twice before and found it a reasonable way to spend an hour but nothing special.

I think I have changed my mind.

The reason I went is because my chiropractor, my PT, my OS and pretty much every medical professional I have met in the last five years has told me I am tight tight tight tight. It is the first thing they say when they examine me.

I showed up for the class and introduced myself to the teacher, telling her I was a newbie. Unfortunately, the class was crowded and I had to be right in front with the teacher. I am very, very, very inflexible and tight. That's just the way I roll, but it is embarrassing to have everyone witness it.

This teacher was the best. She kept coming over and giving me extra equipment and little tricks to have better form. After one hour, my arm, shoulder and back felt better than it has in months.

I have only one quibble. The lady next to me kept looking at me with evident disapproval. After a while, she couldn't restrain herself anymore and started correcting me: "Put your weight on the outside of your foot." I thanked her and all, as she was correct. But still. I thought you were supposed to focus on your own deal in yoga. Don't judge me!

I have recruited a friend to do yoga with me, and I can't wait to do it again!

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Good for you~

"After one hour, my arm, shoulder and back felt better than it has in months."
you must do things right. I will join a gym this winter and hopefully I can try some yoga classes too.

Cindy, I'm curious, how often do your various medical advisers suggest you do yoga? I'm not flexible as well and feel as I get older it will only get worse. Just wondering how many times per week a beginner should so yoga to have it be effective.

The bias is likely that the majority of practitioners in the states are women. And women are, statistically, more likely to have free time during the days.
You might want to look at the following sites which provide yoga sheduling in the morning in the Austin area (one of America's greatest little cities):

try this series of yoga for inflexible people on youtube. there are 58 of them total, you can just do whatever you want or create a youtube account and make your own playlists of say 10 poses at a time.

Cindy, I'm curious, how often do your various medical advisers suggest you do yoga? I'm not flexible as well and feel as I get older it will only get worse. Just wondering how many times per week a beginner should so yoga to have it be effective.

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I honestly don't know. No one has said.

I figure I'm pretty limited by my schedule and how infrequently the classes are held. So it is unlikely that I will overdo it.

And I'm just going to come right out and say it: People who are really flexible can be *sooooo* obnoxious. They seem to struggle with the concept that some people are not flexible, were not born flexible, will never be flexible. Yes, they can get a bit more flexible if they work at it.

But there are limits. If someone promised to pay me $1 million if I could sit on the floor, spread my legs and touch my forehead to the floor between my legs, I would never win that money. The gumbies out there need to check their superior attitudes at the door.

I figure I'm pretty limited by my schedule and how infrequently the classes are held. So it is unlikely that I will overdo it.

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I'm not worried about overdoing it for the same reasons you mention. I'm more worried about under-doing it if, for example, once a week isn't enough for it to be effective. Keep us updated on your results.

I started doing private yoga lessons a year ago to prevent injury or whatever... I soon found that Ashtanga yoga specifically is the best exercise for tennis i have found. Ashtanga mysore class in the early morning or private Ashtange yoga is the only yoga i would recommend.

Fedace.....yoga is awesome. Our bodies are designed to move to maintain musculoskeletal balance and most of us don't move in enough varied ways so we begin to lost that balance. Certain muscles go limp, others get tight, bones are moved out of position, then things don't work and feel like they should.

if the particular yoga class is giving an individual the specific motion their body has been missing, then they'll typically feel a lot better. If like the one person above who didn't feel much, they're probably being given motion their body can already easily accommodate so it doesn't create a functional change.

plantar fascitis is typically a result (in my clinical experience) of a compromised foot strike, which is often the result of hips not where they should be and thus unable to do what they should be doing. Many yoga poses are terrific for mobilizing tight hip joints, so you can certainly try it and see if it positively impacts your pain.

I did yoga via video tape a few years back...was doing either just before bed early morning...really enjoyed it...relaxation and strength at the same time. Gotta dig that tape out and give it another go. Hmmm...VHS...might've been more years ago than I thought!

I'm not worried about overdoing it for the same reasons you mention. I'm more worried about under-doing it if, for example, once a week isn't enough for it to be effective. Keep us updated on your results.

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From what I understand, once a week isn't enough. Classes are expensive and for those who can't afford them, I strongly recommend using a DVD at home. The downside is that it can take you a while to find one that works for you, obviously eveyone has different biases so user reviews are not always helpful. Try the library or netflix or borrowing from friends or youtube or something.

On a personal note, I love the AM/PM stretch from Gaiam by Madeline Lewis. I have done enough dance/training/yoga/whatever to know how to modify the moves on my own because I'm not flexible, and the one drawback to this disc is that she does not have a second person working with her to demonstrate modifications. On the other hand, her instruction and cueing is pretty good and I am not yet tired of listening to her say the same things on repeated use of the disc. This is not yoga, it's stretching but its very helpful.

I haven't found the perfect yoga dvd yet. If anyone has any recommendations, please share them.

I have been taking Yoga classes at my tennis/fitness center for a few years now. Yoga is wonderful for everything! I'm not a very flexible person, but Yoga has made me more flexible. I don't know how to describe it, but it really is good for the mind & body. The more you do yoga, the more you realize that good concentration is key to performing many of the poses correctly.

With my work & tennis schedule I am only able to go to classes twice a week. But I also practice at home as much as possible. Sometimes I get very busy and skip yoga for about a month and I always feel horrible when I do this. But it doesn't take long to get back to normal with a couple of yoga classes.

Yoga is very complimentary to tennis. It works the core, and helps your balance tremendously. I was amazed at how many more balls I could get to after I started doing yoga. I highly recommend it.

I thought you were supposed to focus on your own deal in yoga. Don't judge me!

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haha, i couldn't help but imagine you squeeing like a teenage girl saying that lol.

i rarely do yoga now, but i loved playing tennis right afterwards when i did. the body is so warm and relaxed and everything feels great after a session.

in one p.e. intensive semester at college i had jazz dance and yoga back to back in the morning. at this point i could barely touch my ankles. after 2 months i could touch the floor no problem, in fact i somehow retained much of the flexibility now (over 1 year later), can still touch the floor magically, usually the flexibility goes away a few months later if you don't practice at it.

if you have a good instructor, and it sounds like you do, they won't push you into doing the full stances, they will show you modified stances and sometimes use different equipment and build you up to the full stance over time.

as for the people thinking yoga isn't tough, drop by any p90x threads and i'm sure they'll tell you otherwise.

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

The club I went to had yoga classes, forget which form it was.
But I went once a week and it wasn't much help, also I was lifting heavy weights so that also didn't help with flexibility.

I would say 2 times a week minimum, anything less is very slow in making progress.

About my class:
I went to the back of the class for my first time because I knew how inflexible I was and didn't want to be looked at.
However as we went through the forms I found out the back of the class turns into the front of the class.
Oh well...

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

Sheez.

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I've actually had a number of clients who came in to see me after suffering an injury in a yoga class. It's like any group fitness class, the instructor can only closely watch so many people, and it's impossible in that setting to assess each person individually and prescribe for them unique exercises and poses best suited to their issues and abilities. And it's difficult to correct form on 20 people in the same room at the same time.

in any given fitness class, no matter how good the basic material or instructor, about a third of the class will derive great benefit from it, a third will get so-so results, and a third will have an average to negative experience. Just the nature of a bell curve.

If you really want to utilize yoga as a tool to get better, I'd recommend finding a great instructor and taking individual lessons, and ask them to construct a routine specifically for YOU, then teach you how to do it correctly to insure your form is good and that you're not hurting yourself doing any of the exercises. Then do it at home on your own on a regular basis, going back in for re-checks and exercise routine adjustments.

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

Sheez.

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i think injury would be quite common because of the way people hold the postures. one of the biggest issues is with the shoulder stands, many people actually put weight on their necks and end up with horrible neck pain down the line.

as for me, i get really sore wrists from all the downward/upward dogs and planks. i don't know how you messed up your foot though.

I hurt my toe because I am not nearly flexible enough to have my entire foot on the floor if I am in a down dog.

You know what? Posture guy makes a good point. Rather than attending a bunch of classes and doing everything wrong, maybe better would be a private lesson as suggested, or finding a yogi and doing semi-privates with a friend.

Now I gotta figure out how to find a great instructor. I did like this one instructor I met at the gym. I think I am biased in her favor because she looks like I would look if I would exercise like I know I should.

Cindy....I would go to yelp and search for something like "private yoga instructor mytown,mystate" and see what comes up. Find the highest rated studio in your area, then call them up and tell them you'd like to find someone with whom to book a private session. Tell them your preferences (male/female), your goals, etc...., and let them match you with the person they think is the best fit given your criteria.

Then when you meet the person, I would stress that you want a routine that is not just a generic routine they give everyone, but you want something designed for YOUR specific issues, challenges, capabilities and goals. In fact, tell that to the person up front who is recommending the instructor. Maybe they do or don't do that. You want a very personalized, optimized (for you) experience.

That seems like a good idea, but in reality most people can't afford something like that. And I would hate to see people not get the benefits of Yoga because they can't afford private instruction.

Personally, I've had a very good experience with classes. I have taken classes from several different instructors and they have all emphasized that there are different options for all poses. They show the different poses/options for each level. They spend time with beginners, and always point out that poses should not hurt. The class participants have always been different levels and it always seems to work out fine for everyone.

Just staying in the room for that long was a challenge never mind doing yoga at the same time

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Yeah this is what worries me. Apparently it can be very nauseating but I'm not sure if this is just hyperbole. I'm intrigued so I may just book a session, you can pay per session at this centre though it is (I think) expensive at £15 (about $23 for an hour) if you pay that way.

It doesn't seem to be a very popular form of yoga, at least not in the USA

I hurt my toe because I am not nearly flexible enough to have my entire foot on the floor if I am in a down dog.

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still having a hard time picturing someone injuring their toe doing this. but you don't have to force your foot on the ground if you can't. forcing yourself to do this, you can easily pull a muscle or hamstring, it's the same as stretching and going pass your limit.

listen to your body, you should feel a good stretch, but nothing painful.

still having a hard time picturing someone injuring their toe doing this. but you don't have to force your foot on the ground if you can't. forcing yourself to do this, you can easily pull a muscle or hamstring, it's the same as stretching and going pass your limit.

listen to your body, you should feel a good stretch, but nothing painful.

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See how her heels are off the ground? I think that is incorrect form.

Now imagine doing that in bare feet *and* transitioning from this pose to another. Like "OK, class. Take your right foot and put it up next to your hands." A stiff, inflexible person cannot do this and keep the hands on the ground, but she can do it if she gets up on her tippy toes to create a little more room.

Now imagine doing that in bare feet *and* transitioning from this pose to another. Like "OK, class. Take your right foot and put it up next to your hands." A stiff, inflexible person cannot do this and keep the hands on the ground, but she can do it if she gets up on her tippy toes to create a little more room.

I am a danger to myself and others.

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A huge part of yoga (as far as poses) is respecting your body's limits. If you're having trouble transitioning from one pose to the other, figure out a way to do it without potentially injuring yourself. The same goes for the amount of stretching for each pose. Yoga isn't the place to push your physical limits. Flexibility and movement/transitioning will come with time.

Some of the comments to you are correct regarding yoga. Unlike most of the other athletic endeavors where the focus is performance and pushing yourself, yoga's focus is not to push yourself. It is to do the poses at the level that you are physically able to do them and let the repetition eventually get your body to the place where you can do those poses in better form than the last.

It is not competitive! I am saying this only because it is hard for me to approach yoga in a noncompetitive way as well. But, once I learned and accepted that it was not competitive I enjoyed it much more.

i think injury would be quite common because of the way people hold the postures. one of the biggest issues is with the shoulder stands, many people actually put weight on their necks and end up with horrible neck pain down the line.

as for me, i get really sore wrists from all the downward/upward dogs and planks. i don't know how you messed up your foot though.

i'm pretty sure it did. i believe my yoga instructor told me that it was a daily routine in india to begin the day.

There is something called Kundalini Yoga. It is supposed to wake up the coiled sexual serpent in the lowermost vertebrae and send a climax of energy up through the backbone into the head. But it must be used only for spiritual purposes.

Now imagine doing that in bare feet *and* transitioning from this pose to another. Like "OK, class. Take your right foot and put it up next to your hands." A stiff, inflexible person cannot do this and keep the hands on the ground, but she can do it if she gets up on her tippy toes to create a little more room.

I am a danger to myself and others.

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nope, her form seems perfectly fine to me, though she's able to hold the form in a much more acute angle than i'm able to. i don't know why she has shoes on though, yoga is usually done barefoot.

There is something called Kundalini Yoga. It is supposed to wake up the coiled sexual serpent in the lowermost vertebrae and send a climax of energy up through the backbone into the head. But it must be used only for spiritual purposes.

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yep, part of it is holding your pelvic muscle, just like doing kegel exercises.

Yeah this is what worries me. Apparently it can be very nauseating but I'm not sure if this is just hyperbole. I'm intrigued so I may just book a session, you can pay per session at this centre though it is (I think) expensive at £15 (about $23 for an hour) if you pay that way.

It doesn't seem to be a very popular form of yoga, at least not in the USA

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I reckon it's because of the equipment required and the cost involved for the studio - keeping a room heated to that temperature won't be cheap - which is subsequently passed on the customer.

It's challenging staying in the room but if you feel faint you can lie down for a few minutes to get yourself together or even go outside briefly to cool down. You can drink water throughout too. Personally out the 12 or so times I went I only had to leave the room once because the heat was too much (and I'm from Scotland so anything above 25 is AFAIK) but a few people left that night and the owner thought the room might have been running a bit warmer than usual.